09-15-2020, 08:42 PM
In light of the demands for medical and ecological research funding (among others), how does funding astronomical research address the needs of our planet?
In addition to TomK's extensive examples, I would only add that in national emergencies while some resources are diverted, other unrelated areas of production and research continue. Take WWII for example. Gasoline, butter, rubber, etc were prioritized for the war effort and rationed to the public. As was vehicle and airplane production. But universities remained open, movies were made, and life went on in many other ways. There's a good description of Hawaii during this time period in Gavin Dawes book The Shoals Of Time.
Although COVID-19 and climate research should be top priorities, it's important to also take a longer view. For example, in 2018 the US budget was cut for pandemic monitoring and preparedness as someone deemed it irrelevant and unnecessary. Where we be now in the COVID-19 timeline if we were as prepared in 2020 as we were in 2016?
We don't yet know what we'll find on Venus or in its atmosphere, but as TomK noted in his first example "1) Venus was the trigger that made us understand the greenhouse effect". Is there life on or above Venus? Did it develop concurrently with life on Earth? Or did Russian and American probes introduce it with early spacecraft? If they did, have Earth life forms survived, evolved, and adapted to conditions on Venus?
Given our state of climate change, life on another planet might prove quite useful for the future of life on Earth.
In addition to TomK's extensive examples, I would only add that in national emergencies while some resources are diverted, other unrelated areas of production and research continue. Take WWII for example. Gasoline, butter, rubber, etc were prioritized for the war effort and rationed to the public. As was vehicle and airplane production. But universities remained open, movies were made, and life went on in many other ways. There's a good description of Hawaii during this time period in Gavin Dawes book The Shoals Of Time.
Although COVID-19 and climate research should be top priorities, it's important to also take a longer view. For example, in 2018 the US budget was cut for pandemic monitoring and preparedness as someone deemed it irrelevant and unnecessary. Where we be now in the COVID-19 timeline if we were as prepared in 2020 as we were in 2016?
We don't yet know what we'll find on Venus or in its atmosphere, but as TomK noted in his first example "1) Venus was the trigger that made us understand the greenhouse effect". Is there life on or above Venus? Did it develop concurrently with life on Earth? Or did Russian and American probes introduce it with early spacecraft? If they did, have Earth life forms survived, evolved, and adapted to conditions on Venus?
Given our state of climate change, life on another planet might prove quite useful for the future of life on Earth.